First, there must be a school. After the county sends people down to verify it, they’ll provide a hiring stipend of twenty taels for the teacher.

Only after the school enrolls students can the subsequent eighty taels of tuition subsidy be received.

Moreover, the twenty-tael subsidy from the county government requires the school to have twenty students in order to be granted.

In total, the subsidy of 120 taels, calculated from the school’s completion, takes at least half a year to be fully received.

And this subsidy of 120 taels is a one-time payment; whether the school’s expenses can be sustained in the future, and for how long, still requires the villagers’ own efforts.

However, with the current 120 taels at hand, hiring a teacher, including his accommodation and meals, shouldn’t be a problem for maintaining the school for five to six years.

For the villagers, having a school at their doorstep saves on transportation costs, which can completely be used for buying writing materials, and with free tuition for the next two years, they can still manage this education.

As for after the two-year free period, we’ll talk about it then. Qin Yao firmly believes that life won’t always be so harsh.

The watermelon fields in the village that haven’t been washed away by the heavy rain will surely serve their purpose.

Qin Yao shared the subsidy situation with the clan elders. After listening, the collective excitement faded away, replaced by a sigh.

The clan leader asked: "So we have to come up with the Silver ourselves to build the school? Our ancestors haven’t built a school for years, how are we supposed to build one? How much Silver will it require?" 𝗳𝚛𝗲𝕖𝚠𝚎𝚋𝗻𝗼𝕧𝗲𝐥.𝚌𝚘𝐦

Other clan elders said: "We need at least two rooms, right? It’s a place for children to study. It can’t be too dark; mud walls definitely won’t do, small windows won’t let light in and will waste candlelight."

Without mud walls, we can only build with wood or bricks, a burden on the clan leader’s heart.

Qin Yao reminded: "The village still has forty taels of Silver."

But for the elders, having Silver is one thing; spending it is another matter.

It hurts!

Qin Yao was glad she was now the village head and has absolute decision-making power. Ignoring the elders’ pained expressions, she decided:

"Let’s build with bricks, solid and durable, wind and rain resistant, saving on annual repairs, getting it done in one go!"

"Ask each household in the village to provide a hand, we’ll save quite a bit on labor costs, then build three rooms with brick beams and furniture, two for the students and one for the teacher. It’s estimated to cost around ten taels."

Seeing the clan elders inhale sharply upon hearing ten taels, Qin Yao stood up and played her trump card, solemnly stating:

"As the ancients said, no matter how bitter, don’t let the children suffer. No matter how poor, don’t skimp on education!"

The clan leader blinked his old eyes, daring to ask: "Yao Niang, who are these ancients?"

Qin Yao stared with wide eyes and blurted, "The sage Confucius."

A group of illiterate clan elders instantly became respectful.

Only the clan leader, who had attended school for two years as a child, furrowed his brows slightly. The poor old man, of age, was making an effort to recall whether Confucius really said such a thing.

No one raised further objections, so Qin Yao considered it agreed, yawning, waving her hand, and adjourning the meeting.

Afterward, the clan leader went to the old village head’s house to recount to him Qin Yao’s decision to spend ten taels of Silver building the school.

Seeing the old village head indeed showing a pained expression, the clan leader quickly patted his shoulder, instructing:

"The sage said, no matter how bitter, don’t let the children suffer. No matter how poor, don’t skimp on education. The children’s education is a top priority. Old pal, broaden your horizons, we must look far ahead."

The old village head puffed his beard and glared. He understood now that it was learned anew, flaunting it to him.

He huffed: "Do I not know your little bit of ink? Sage stories, how many quotes from the sage have you remembered?"

But thinking about Qin Yao’s decision, the old village head smiled in satisfaction, "It has to be young people with courage, if we old men hold back due to a little Silver, it’ll delay the children’s lifelong matters."

The clan leader, though feeling heartache, nodded honestly.

Qin Yao stayed up late writing the application for the free school subsidy and the next morning traveled with the children’s school carriage to Jinshi Town to find the village chief.

Both for the subsidy and for the Liu Family Village leadership transition.

Seeing Qin Yao with the village head’s copper seal, the village chief’s enthusiastic smile froze, shocked, looking Qin Yao up and down.

He was stunned for a good five seconds, then surprised with a smile, inviting her inside to sit.

As he walked, he kept glancing at Qin Yao’s copper seal at her waist, "He mentioned retiring when learning to transplant seedlings at your village. I thought he was joking, but didn’t expect it so soon."

Not to mention the new village head is someone he hadn’t imagined.

Qin Yao smiled, saying: "Village chief, this junior isn’t very experienced. I’ll need guidance from seniors like you in the future."

The village chief nodded, looking at the wine, tea, and snacks Qin Yao brought him, his smile widened, "Naturally."

"But from the previous dynasty to now, never seen a woman as village head, you really surprised me greatly." The village chief spoke half-seriously, half-playfully.

Qin Yao smiled again, skipping further explanation, diving directly into the main topic, taking out her written application, asking if it was suitable to send to the county government.

The village chief gestured for Qin Yao to sit, pulled a chair to the doorway, using the sunlight to read the application.

The old village head never wrote such applications; he would just bring his words and talk to him. Anything needing reporting, the village chief would write himself.

Qin Yao’s submission made the village chief regard her closely.

Suddenly, he felt there was nothing wrong with a woman being village head; ability, not gender, was what mattered.

Besides, the new Liu Family Village head today is indeed more capable than other villages’ illiterates.

Looking at this application, no flowery language, straightforward words, the handwriting not pretty but neat and clear.

She first wrote why she drafted this application, then mentioned the school’s construction in Liu Family Village.

The location of the school, approximate construction area, costs, future usage, all detailed clearly.

At the end, expressed how this school is significant for all of Liu Family Village, about Sheng Country’s strong future, elevating the application’s spirit.

The village chief finished reading it, both amazed and pleased.

Amazed that Qin Yao wrote such an excellent application.

Pleased that he could use this format in the future, no longer worried about writing applications!

Qin Yao observed the village chief’s subtle expression changes, seeing his reactions, she smiled slightly, tentatively asking:

"Village chief, what do you think?"

The village chief replied with one word: "Good!"